Evolving consumer trends for whey protein sports supplements : the Heckman ordered probit estimation

Despite the fast-rising popularity of whey protein sports supplements over recent years, there has been little research to investigate the driving forces behind the consumer choices. Using a consumer dataset collected in Ireland, we applied the ordered Heckman two-stage method to examine the evolving consumer trend and to determine the key factors that affect consumers’ choices. The study found that demographic variables, such as gender and income, do not significantly influence the decision on whether or not to consume whey, but exercise type is highly influential. The desire for power and strength is a stable key consumption driver, with endurance and flexibility becoming more important in the expansion of this industry. The study also found that whey is under-consumed by older age groups and under-promoted based on country of origin affiliation. Findings of the study provide further insights to relevant literature and have direct implications to the sports supplement industry as well as the dairy ingredient industry.